Studies show that ultra-successful people have learned these 5 life skills — see how you can too.

We often focus only on learning skills that are directly pertinent to our jobs during the busy workweek. Wealthy and successful people, on the other hand, never stop reaching for new heights and learning new skills, even if a teacher or boss isn’t telling them to.

The ultra-successful know that there are some other skills outside of their job description that can also immensely improve their wealth and their life. Well after they graduate, they’re still constant learners.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always.” — Oprah Winfrey

University College London (UCL) conducted extensive studies on people in their 50s and 60s, and found some of these skills people adopted that attributed to their wealth success. Surprisingly, they concluded that you only need to develop (at least) these five (5) life skills to dramatically improve your life.

These life skills are rarely taught in school, but if you learn them, you’ll not only end up generally happy, but also, more wealthy and successful.

So foster these life skills to prepare yourself for challenges ahead and set you up for success:

Life Skill #1 — Emotional Stability

How do you really become emotionally stabled most especially when you, as a human being, are hard-wired to react based on emotions?

First of all, you have to understand that in any situation, once you let your emotions overpower you, there is always a negative implication. This is due to the fact that when you do so, you derail from logic and become irrational, affecting the way you view and weigh things.

Having the ability to control your emotions is a way to overcome this. Strive to see future outcomes rather than present gains. In this way, you are encouraged to stand by your long term goals and not easily be persuaded by situations.

Life Skill #2 — Determination

It’s so easy to say that you are determined to reach your goals, but it only gets tested when you are faced with difficult situations.

Being determined means you are willing to push forward despite setbacks or failures. How do you embrace this life skill especially in your lowest moments?

The key is acceptance. You have to be able to admit that if there are highs, most certainly, there will be lows. So you have to be prepared for it to come out victorious.

“Do not be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again.” — Richard Branson

Life Skill #3 — Control

Our attention spans and willpower are finite. So, if you attempt to micromanage every single aspect of your life, which plenty of motivated people do, you’ll end up limiting the attention you can pay to the important stuff.

This isn’t an excuse to do sloppy work, but you must only direct your efforts towards things you can control. And while it is true that you cannot control everything, you have to power to control yourself.

For instance, if you want to be financially successful in the near future, you might not be able to control winning the lottery, but you can control your financial decisions the soonest possible time (which is now).

The most common mistake that people normally commit is overspending — and this happens a lot. To help you get through this, and also establish control over your finances, start with the 50–30–20 rule. A simple method to traffic your income and grow your hard-earned money. Just remember the 3 easy steps, (1) Allocate 50% of your income to your daily living expenses, (2) You can spend as much as 30% of it with anything you decide for yourself, (3) Lastly, set aside 20% for your investments.

Life Skill #4 — Optimism

Have you heard about negative self-talk? You might be unconsciously doing this to yourself by planting destructive thoughts. Based from research, it is found that people say 300 to 1,000 words to themselves every single minute, hence if you constantly think/speak about negativity, it is going to be harmful for your entire well-being in the long run.

Break this bad habit by training your mind to focus on the positive side of things. JK Rowling, who became a billionaire after brushing off hundreds of publisher rejections, once said, “It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all — in which case, you fail by default.”

Ultra-successful people don’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Instead, they find new ways to turn rejections into milestones. Do not be afraid to go for it!

It might be an effort to find the good in untoward instances but it will contribute to your overall success. Furthermore, practice self-affirmation to boost your spirit and give you energy to keep going.

Life Skill #5 — Conscientiousness

“Work hard, have fun, make history.” — Jeff Bezos

Being conscientious entails two things, first, you have to be mindful of your work and second, you have to be diligent at the same time. Without it, you will lose the drive to go after your dreams and fail to achieve the success you deserve.

But how do you maintain these attributes to secure your future success?

The answer is simple — you have to set your goals in place, for without these, you will not have anything to look forward to.

Be specific on your long term goals. Write them down if possible. Whenever you feel weak or uninspired, always go back to your list and try to visualize your future self. Know that the only way to get there is to move forward regardless of what you are facing. It may require sacrifice today but the benefits you will reap in the near future will be truly rewarding.

Learn These Super Skills Immediately to “Future-Proof” Your Career

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“People look for retreats for themselves, in the country, by the coast, or in the hills . . . There is nowhere that a person can find a more peaceful and trouble-free retreat than in his own mind. . . . So constantly give yourself this retreat, and renew yourself.”